AirVPN Review 2023 — Keep This in Mind Before Buying

Founded in 2010, AirVPN started as a passion project for a group of individuals dedicated to internet privacy and net neutrality. It offers a large selection of 7 subscription plans, which makes it seem like it would be a good value for money. So, I was curious to test it out and see how it works with some of the popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and others.

It offers a generous server network of 246 servers located in 22 countries. Additionally, you can choose to secure your connection with either the OpenVPN (Open SSL provides AES 256-bit encryption) or WireGuard protocol.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to properly test AirVPN because when I scanned its Windows client for viruses, it was flagged for malware.

And while AirVPN’s privacy policy states that there is no data logging, you need to keep in mind that the service is based in Italy, a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance.

So, if you’re looking for a VPN that’s fast, reliable, and safe, then you should check out our list of the best VPNs available in 2023.

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Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

Streaming — Uncertain

Unfortunately, I was not able to properly test AirVPN’s streaming capabilities as my VirusTotal test showed that its Windows client contained malware.

So, instead, I sent an email to its customer service asking them if AirVPN works with streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and Hulu. Unfortunately, I did not receive a reply from AirVPN’s customer service team, even after 3 working days.

Since they didn’t reply, I had to do some research about its streaming capabilities on AirVPN’s forum

Unblocks: None

Because I didn’t hear back from support, I decided to check out its official forum. From the customers’ posts and the staff’s replies, I found out that AirVPN doesn’t unblock any of the platforms mentioned above.

Blocked By: Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max

On the forum I found a couple of posts that said AirVPN doesn’t unblock Netflix anymore.

Even the forum’s moderator agrees that AirVPN is unreliable when it comes to unblocking Netflix.

The forum moderator implies that AirVPN is inconsistent for streaming Netflix

So, instead, take a look at these VPNs that can reliably unblock Netflix.

The same is also true for BBC iPlayer as many users have complained that AirVPN can’t unblock the platform. Its staff on the official forums have mentioned that AirVPN’s UK-based IP addresses are blocked by BBC iPlayer. Also, they say that Hulu blocks all of its servers.

The staff confirmed this on AirVPN’s official forum

There are also posts that AirVPN cannot unblock other streaming sites like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max.

AirVPN users have complained that they couldn’t access many platforms with the VPN on

AirVPN doesn’t have streaming-optimized servers, so it’s no surprise that it has a hard time bypassing the platforms’ geoblocks.

You can also rely on the “Blocked websites” posts on AirVPN’s official forums that list down all sites that have blocked AirVPN’s servers.

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Speeds — Unlimited

As I couldn't install AirVPN’s Eddie client for Windows, it was impossible to test AirVPN's speeds properly.

So instead, I gathered information from AirVPN’s website and forums for a more definite set of answers.

AirVPN promises unlimited maximum speeds, but this is dependent on the server’s current load. You need only 5 Mbps for HD streaming and VPNs usually drop down your speeds by 20% or more (depending on the VPN). So, if your base speeds aren't extremely low, you should be able to have a good streaming quality with AirVPN (if you manage to unblock any platforms).

However, it guarantees that you will have a minimum bandwidth of 4 Mbps for downloads and uploads with no traffic or time limits.

In its FAQs, there’s brief information about AirVPN’s speed

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Are AirVPN’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming? Yes

From my research, it looks like AirVPN’s speeds should be fast enough for gaming.

I visited AirVPN’s official forums for more information, and I found that it unlocks VoIP features such as voice chat and does not increase ping by too much.

Some users say that they’ve used AirVPN for gaming and it worked fine for them

Important: While most forum members have praised the service as a gaming VPN, it should also be noted that your latency is also dependent on the proximity of the server that you are connected to. Thus, the further away from the server, the higher your latency becomes.

But if you’re a hardcore gamer who wants to play fast-paced games, then check out our list of fast gaming VPNs.

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Server Network — Decent Size

Compared to its competitors, AirVPN has a moderately-sized server network of 246 servers spread out across 22 countries, from Austria to Japan and from Spain to Singapore.

The Netherlands has the highest number of servers at 68, closely followed by the US and Canada, with 37 and 33 servers, respectively.

From the locations shown, it’s also evident that AirVPN primarily targets users located in Europe and the US, with servers available in most major cities.

Support for users in Asia is limited with only 16 servers split between Singapore and Japan. Before July 2020, there were several Hong Kong-based servers, but these were taken down due to legal issues in China.Unfortunately, the same doesn’t apply to South American users who only have 2 Brazil-based servers, while there are no servers in the Middle East or Africa.

The staff confirmed this on AirVPN’s official forums

Given its smaller server network, you may face slowdowns during peak demand periods. Fortunately, I saw that AirVPN has a server status page that lets you view current server loads. I also liked the server issues log that provides you with an up-to-date report of any problems, the name of the affected server, and the duration. A list of past issues is also available.

I found this useful because it helps you choose the least crowded server near you

AirVPN’s servers are named after stars in the solar system, which gets confusing as they all have exotic-sounding names.

As I wasn’t able to access AirVPN’s app, I am unsure whether there are search or filter options. These options can help you easily find servers without having to scroll through the whole server list.

And if you don’t have access to AirVPN’s native client you can use the OpenVPN Config Generator to automatically generate OpenVPN configuration files for your chosen OS, server, and location.

The OpenVPN configuration generator can be found on AirVPN’s website

Also, I took a look at AirVPN’s FAQs to see how many IP addresses are offered per server and I found that it offers 4 entry-IPv4 and 4 entry-IPv6 addresses for each server.

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Security — Questionable

AirVPN has a good list of security features, but the Windows installer was flagged for malware during my VirusTotal tests, meaning that the VPN is far from secure.

Before installing the Windows client, I performed a scan using VirusTotal and was disappointed that the installer file contained the 'BScope.Trojan.Sabsik.FL' virus.

This type of malware works by taking over a victim's computer and making it unusable; in some cases, the victim then has no choice but to pay a ransom.

This was the reason why I couldn’t install its Eddie Windows app

I found that other users have also complained about AirVPN’s Windows client being flagged for viruses and malware.

But the answer given by AirVPN’s staff on the company’s official forums was dismissive and even a bit condescending.

Other users on AirVPN’s official forum also reported that they encountered alerts for malware

On the bright side, AirVPN offers one of the most secure protocols — OpenVPN, and doesn't support older and less secure ones such as PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, and IPsec.

While AirVPN is not available with IKEv2, there is support for WireGuard on all OSs. Also, its staff have included instructions on how to use WireGuard with or without the Eddie client on the forum.

You can find these instructions on AirVPN’s forum

As for encryption, AirVPN makes use of:

• 4096-bit DH and RSA keys
• AES or GCM encryption with 256-bit keys
• CHACHA20 and POLY1305 ciphers (WireGuard)

These are some of the most secure encryption protocols in the world, such as AES with 256-bit keys, which is widely acknowledged as the gold standard for VPNs.

AirVPN provides additional security with perfect forward secrecy which prevents hackers or the authorities from gaining access to your past data.

Also, it supports OpenVPN over SSH, OpenVPN over SSL, and OpenVPN over Tor. That way, you can rest assured that your data is kept safe at all times.

In terms of connection protocols, AirVPN supports all of the following TCP/UDP protocols: 53 TCP/UDP, 80 TCP/UDP, and 443 TCP/UDP.

AirVPN safeguards your data with strong encryption and good security protocols

You’ll be pleased to know that all of AirVPN’s servers have their own DNS servers and you can create custom servers with OpenNIC or Namecoin. This adds another layer of security to your data.

I was also impressed to see that the service allows multi-hopping. This feature allows you to hide your exit IP address by connecting to multiple servers, making it much more difficult to track you.

As I couldn’t properly test AirVPN’s DNS leak security, I sent AirVPN’s customer support team an email asking about DNS leaks and if they offered stealth servers, along with split tunneling.

This half-reply indicates that AirVPN doesn’t have stealth servers

AirVPN’s reply was rather vague when it came to stealth servers, but they did mention that the service offers DNS servers within the virtual network and split tunneling.

Split tunneling lets you choose what traffic (IPs) you would like to go through the VPN tunnel and what traffic to go outside the VPN tunnel (i.e., through your ISP’s servers). This is useful if you don’t need to secure all your traffic with the VPN allowing you to encrypt some data without having to sacrifice speeds for other traffic, like streaming.

AirVPN also comes with a kill switch called Network Lock — a feature that blocks all outgoing IPv4/IPv6 communications if you are suddenly disconnected from the VPN.

If it wasn’t for the malware, I would be happy with the security AirVPN offers since it provides many beneficial features.

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Privacy — Vague No-logs Policy

Data logging can be used to track your internet activity and determine your identity. So, it’s good to see that AirVPN clearly states that it does not keep activity logs of that kind.

It only collects non-identifiable user data to improve its services, which you can request to be deleted

To be extra sure since there’s no audit to prove this policy, I also sent an email to the AirVPN team to determine what data exactly is logged to maintain the service. Unfortunately, my queries went unanswered.

And while AirVPN states that you have a right to request for your data to be deleted, the unresponsive customer support team leaves much to be desired. It would’ve been much better if its privacy policy listed all the technical data AirVPN collects, but unfortunately, it’s pretty vague.

On the plus side, it’s good to see that AirVPN doesn’t require you to use an actual email address when you’re signing up, which helps you to avoid leaving a digital trail.

Note that if you don’t use a real email address, you won’t be able to change your account’s password

All of this is well and good, but there are several things that you should be aware of. While your data may be protected under the EU GDPR, AirVPN is owned by AirVPN di Paolo Brini, an Italian company.

And as Italy is a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance, AirVPN could be forced by the authorities to hand over information about its users to the government, if needed.

Its headquarters are in Italy, which is a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance

Protect Your Privacy With AirVPN

Torrenting — Suitable Features

As the virus test showed that AirVPN’s Windows client contained malware, I wasn’t able to install it on my PC.

So instead, I took a look at the list of features offered by AirVPN to see if the service can be used for torrenting.

Let’s start with the good…

First of all, AirVPN’s FAQ clearly states that P2P protocols are supported, which means that torrenting is possible. Further supporting this is the fact that port forwarding (up to 20 ports simultaneously) is also available, meaning that you can configure your connection to speed up your downloads.

AirVPN’s FAQ page on P2P protocols and instructions on how to forward your ports

Additionally, there are no speed limits imposed on users, meaning that you can probably torrent at speeds similar to the ones when using a local server.

And if you’re worried about data privacy, AirVPN’s Network Lock ensures that your data will be kept private.

And now, for the bad…

As AirVPN is headquartered in Italy, a country that is a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance, there is a risk that the company may be forced to share your data with other member countries.

And while AirVPN claims that it does not log any data, this cannot be confirmed without a cybersecurity audit.

vpnMentor does not condone illegal torrenting or file-sharing of copyrighted materials.

If you choose to download torrents, check your country’s regulations and ensure that you are not downloading copyrighted material.

Start Torrenting With AirVPN

Does AirVPN Work in China? Most Likely Not

I sent an email to AirVPN’s customer service team to check if the VPN works in China, but they did not reply.

On the bright side, AirVPN’s staff have included a guide for Android and iOS users to manually set up their devices to use AirVPN in China by using the TCP protocol and connecting to port 443.

According to AirVPN’s staff, the Android Eddie client has been updated to automatically configure separate entry and exit IP addresses.

You can find guides on how to set up Android and iOS on AirVPN’s official forum

Also, if you’re in a country with strict internet censorship like Russia, Turkey, or Iran, AirVPN’s Tor over VPN, OpenVPN, and SSH/SSL protocols are designed to circumvent any internet restrictions.

Until recently, AirVPN had several servers based in Hong Kong, but it withdrew them after new regulations in China came into effect.

Note: Only government–approved VPNs are permitted in China. However, no tourists have been penalized for using a non-government-approved VPN there. They usually go after the VPN technology, not the people using the VPNs.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Allowed

AirVPN supports a maximum of 5 simultaneous connections on all plans. This makes AirVPN a good choice for anyone looking to get their money's worth.

AirVPN is also available for routers, thus allowing you to connect all your home devices at once.

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